1920.] Establishment of Village Industries. 63 



actual sales of country-made baskets could, it is asserted, be 

 as well and as economically transacted as under existing 

 conditions in the towns. 



Further, inquiry has shown that here and there throughout 

 the rural districts, and especially in the smaller market towns, 

 there are usually one or two basket-makers who, not altogether 

 through their own fault, live a more or less precarious existence, 

 but who, if they and their industry were taken in hand, could 

 be helped with advantage both to agriculture and to the 

 general public. At present these workers appear usually to 

 make one or two kinds of baskets which they sell generally 

 to the farmers and other villagers of their respective districts, 

 either by calling upon them for the purpose or by exposing 

 their wares for sale in the market place or in a shop in the 

 market town. 



The industry and, therefore, the livelihood of the basket - 

 makers is precarious ; but the reason for this unsatisfactory 

 state of things is largely that the men themselves show a lack 

 of enterprise in making only a very small range of goods, 

 while their usual method of selling is wasteful in the extreme. 



The best remedy is the production and co-operative dis- 

 posal of a larger range of marketable commodities. As regards 

 production, the education of the basket-makers is of importance, 

 for if a greater range of baskets is to be produced the makers 

 must be provided with the necessary tuition. It should not 

 be difficult to give this to men who already have skill. Further, 

 the co-operative movement should include not only the disposal 

 of goods but also the continuous supply of fresh designs. 



Another medium for the encouragement of village industries 

 has been the Women's Institutes movement, the progress of 

 which during the past five years has been phenomenal. The 

 potentialities of that movement are far from being fully 

 appreciated. 



During the early years of the War women in many English 

 counties started the making of all sorts of stuffed toys, fancy 

 leather goods, and other small articles. The work was closed 

 down at the end of 191 7, owing to the desire of the Government 

 to employ the people engaged in it in more useful occupations 

 directly bearing on the conduct of the War. By that time, 

 however, it had been proved that our country people possessed 

 the necessary talent to produce goods equal in quality to the 

 competing imported articles, if only they were given the 

 opportunity to display their ability. That opportunity had 

 been given ; the goods the villagers produced were readily 



